Sono Motors must have been one of the first companies to promise to sell a solar car. It was founded in 2016 and presented its idea in the same year in an Indiegogo campaign. The car would cost €12,000 ($12,262 at the current exchange rate) or €16,000 ($16,349) if people wanted more range. That led many to think the company would never make it. Well, it apparently did, presenting the production version of the Sion on July 25. It will cost €25,126 ($25,674).
That’s more than double the proposed price back in 2016. The Sono Sion may also arrive later than the Lightyear 0 or the Aptera, but it has a good sales argument: it will be the first solar car for the masses, which is still valid despite the price increase. That has only two explanations: either Sono Motors founders had no idea how much it would cost to sell this vehicle at a profit, or the plans changed so much in these six years that the solar hatchback naturally got more expensive.
Although the price is much steeper than previously thought, it seems fair for an electric car with 54 kWh and a length of 4.47 meters (176 inches). That makes the Sion as long as a Peugeot 3008 or a Hyundai i30 Fastback. It seems that the production version is bigger than the first prototype the company presented.
That first car was quite unrefined and had only 330 solar power cells on its surface, with no windows after the C-pillar. The production solar electric vehicle (SEV) has a window between the C-pillar and the D-pillar and comes with 456 “seamlessly integrated solar half-cells.” They are enough to give the car an average of 112 kilometers (69.6 miles) of solar range weekly in Germany. Sunnier places can get up to 245 km (152 mi) of range per week.
Apart from seating five people comfortably with its generous wheelbase of 2.83 m (111.4 in), the Sion can also carry 650 liters (23 cubic feet) of cargo. Being a tall (1.66 m, or 65.4 in) and broad (1.83 m, or 72.1 in) vehicle also helps the SIon offer more room.
With these specs and the 54-kWh LFP battery pack, the solar car can travel 305 km (189.5 mi) under the WLTP cycle. That’s not much, but it suggests that Sono preferred to sell a lighter vehicle than a heavier, more expensive, and less efficient one. That can be solved with fast charging, something that LFP cells stand better than ternary cells. Sion’s top charging speed is 75 kW with DC fast chargers and 11 kW with AC chargers. You’d better make shorter trips with it. Bidirectional charging allows the Sion to power other electric cars or store electricity from solar panels in a house, powering it at night so its owners can save on energy bills.
The Sono Sion was not conceived to be a sports car. It goes from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 140 kph (87 mph). The solar car is front-wheel drive (FWD), which will also make some people see it as a mere people mover. The customers willing to buy it will say that is precisely the point, adding just that they want to do that while saving resources and energy.
So far, Sono Motors has 19,000 active private reservations, with an average downpayment of €2,225. That corresponds to €415 million if all those preorders turn into actual sales. Sono Motors hired Valmet Automotive to build the Sion and expects the manufacturing contractor to make 257,000 units in seven years. Production should start in the second half of 2023.
Apart from the Sion, Sono Motors is also starting to sell a Solar Bus Kit to help save fuel by powering auxiliary systems with solar energy. That is another way for the company to make money and prepare for new solar vehicles like the Sion. If everything goes according to plan, we should see what Sono has to offer one year from now.
Although the price is much steeper than previously thought, it seems fair for an electric car with 54 kWh and a length of 4.47 meters (176 inches). That makes the Sion as long as a Peugeot 3008 or a Hyundai i30 Fastback. It seems that the production version is bigger than the first prototype the company presented.
Apart from seating five people comfortably with its generous wheelbase of 2.83 m (111.4 in), the Sion can also carry 650 liters (23 cubic feet) of cargo. Being a tall (1.66 m, or 65.4 in) and broad (1.83 m, or 72.1 in) vehicle also helps the SIon offer more room.
The Sono Sion was not conceived to be a sports car. It goes from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 140 kph (87 mph). The solar car is front-wheel drive (FWD), which will also make some people see it as a mere people mover. The customers willing to buy it will say that is precisely the point, adding just that they want to do that while saving resources and energy.
Apart from the Sion, Sono Motors is also starting to sell a Solar Bus Kit to help save fuel by powering auxiliary systems with solar energy. That is another way for the company to make money and prepare for new solar vehicles like the Sion. If everything goes according to plan, we should see what Sono has to offer one year from now.